Andrew Parco earned his B.A. in Political Communication from the George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GW he interned at the Department of the Interior, Grapevine Health, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Graduating magna cum laude with the Class of 2020, he now works at the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service as a digital design associate.
1) To what ethical standard should political communication be held? Where should political communication ethics be grounded?
The good news and the bad news are the same: There is a great deal of gray area. Even in the best of circumstances, the baseline ethical standard for political communication is heavily dependent on context and values, and politics rarely offers the best of circumstances. It feels like an intrinsically personal question that is searching for a universal answer.
The best I can offer is a small thought experiment. Imagine your kids are your audience. (If, like me, you don’t have kids, feel free to imagine any three- to seven-year-old who looks up to you.) You want to do your best to tell the truth all the time, but sometimes you need small lies to protect them in the long run. Similarly, practitioners of political communication might need to lie to protect national security interests. You must be the disciplinarian sometimes, but empathy and warmth are equally crucial. There is nothing they love more than a good story, and if that is what you need to do to keep their attention, then so be it.
But what is most important is that you care about your audience. Political communication ethics should be grounded in compassion and a sense of responsibility because all the other factors you need to behave ethically—trust, sincerity, fairness, and more—stem from there.
2) Why should someone in political communication behave ethically?
For starters, you shouldn’t behave ethically because it is the politically convenient option or because your coworkers or boss want you to. That is not to say that ethical behavior is always inconvenient and unpopular, but that well will run dry eventually.
I will also say you should not behave ethically because it feels like “the right thing to do.” At some point, you will be professionally wronged, and you will be nothing but vindictive and vengeful and out for blood. Whether it is deserved or not, behaving ethically will not feel like the right thing. That basis, too, is fleeting and unreliable.
On a practical level, political communication demands you behave ethically because it is one small, everyday measure you can take to preserve our political system. It is not the case that ethical behavior benefits everyone; it is just that it does not hurt everyone. Unethical behavior demeans the work we do, disrespects the people we do it for, and deteriorates the very institutions in which we operate. Ethical behavior leaves those institutions unscathed. Even if doing the right thing means you are taking a hit today, it means you have the chance to fight again tomorrow.
On a personal level, behaving ethically also preserves your dignity. It is easy to play dirty in politics; keeping your back straight, chin up, and conscience clear is much harder.
3) Can you give an example of ethical political communication? What can people point to and say “do more of that?”
To me, a good example of ethical political communication is White House Press Secretary Jerald terHorst’s resignation from the Ford administration after the pardon of Richard Nixon. He contrasted the pardon with the lack of amnesty at the time for young men who evaded the draft. In his resignation letter, he admitted that “it is impossible to conclude that the former President is more deserving of mercy than persons of lesser station in life.” After only a month at the podium, he stepped down from his position rather than sacrifice his ethical position.
4) Can you give an example of an ethical challenge or question you or political communication professionals in your field have faced or are likely to face?
I work at a nonpartisan nonprofit. What is great is that we manage to avoid controversy most days, and generally, we keep our nose out of the day’s bill, politician, or rally taking up headlines. What can be frustrating and ethically challenging is the exact same thing. To avert even the appearance of partisanship, our response to politics is sometimes disappointing.
I remember one occasion when a Partnership for Public Service press release about a national political event felt underwhelming and even out of touch. In response, I contacted the head of my department that same day and made a case about why I thought our organization’s response was inappropriate. I was not asking for an apology or revised press release, but I felt responsible—even as an entry-level employee—to speak up against what I viewed as substandard ethical behavior. To their credit, they fully heard me out and engaged in a meaningful discussion about the thought process. Although I did not agree with the final determination reached by upper management, the discussion nonetheless gave me a more rounded out perspective, and I was able to recognize the driving forces behind their decision.
As a young professional, you cannot expect to necessarily influence the direction of your organization, but personally, know where your principles lie and be prepared to defend them.
5) What advice about ethics do you have for people studying political communication or starting their careers in the field?
Be nice to people. Personally, it makes the job more fun, and professionally, it makes the job a whole lot easier.